Post by sesquipedalian on Feb 16, 2013 15:04:04 GMT 10
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1000
Prompt: Alex of Tirragen/Aly of Pirate's Swoop
Summary: Aly thinks that sometime's it's not so bad to be haunted.
A/N: Hi! (for those of you who are not Tamari, this is going to be a long author's note--so skip generously) So this is late. Really late. I'm really hoping that you're west of me so that it isn't as ridiculously late as it is when you get it. So, this is basically what happened. I wanted to write Lerant/Lianne for you. You write it so well, and I love it. But that kind of didn't happen. So I figured that going for something that you hadn't read before would be better. You also said that this pairing could be best done with an AU, or time travel, but apparently my brain doesn't work that way and this happened instead. It's really late, and it's not done yet. So instead of getting a complete, on time oneshot of Lerant/Lianne, you're getting a late, three/fourshot of Alex/Aly because this appears to be what happens when my brain has too much sugar.
Enjoy, and happy (late) Valentines Day! I hope you like it.
She has tried everything.
She’s taken it to the smiths, but they’d found no problem with it. After hearing that she’s tried it on her own,taking some practice swings by herself. She’s even gone to the training courts and tried one of their swords,fearing the worst, but the problem with her sword, it seemed, is not a simple case of user error.
Her sword is off balance, irreparably and anomalously, and though the Lioness knows what to do it doesn’t mean she wants to do it. Sentimentality for a sword that’s caused as many problems as hers has isnot a good reason to continue going into battle with it.
So she does what she has to, and leaves it at Pirate’s Swoop on her way to Corus.
X
Alex of Tirragen doesn’t like to lose.
He’ll never admit it, but it’s part of the reason he joins Roger. He knows that a powerful mage like him would be able to perform the magic he wants.
Alex realizes that he should care about chivalry, and fairness, but he doesn’t. As far as he’s concerned, any trick his opponent can’t see is their own fault. And if this is a rather unconventional trick, so be it.
Alex of Tirragen must always win.
X
Aly is bored, honestly. That’s the only excuse she can give. She’s bored of the balls and the fumbling, simple boys, of the lords and ladies who look at her like she’s got to be a hero, the others who look at her like she’s possibly as low born as it gets.
It’s not because the entire palace is buzzing with news of King Maggot. It’s not because her mother is the most annoying person when she has nothing to do but wait for someone to finish with their Progress, get through their Ordeal, or declare war on her kingdom. Her mother tends to spend that time on projects, and unlike most of the court, she doesn’t want her daughter to be a hero. She doesn’t want her to be a lady either (which is a relief), or a spy(which is a pity, since she’s planning on doing that anyway), so sometimes Aly wonders if her mother has any idea what to do with her only daughter.
But it’s not because of her mother anyways, right?
She returns to Pirate’s Swoop to escape Corus. Society will buzz with the news of the Lioness’s daughter leaving so suddenly after her mother, along with most of the court, returns, but at the moment, Aly couldn’t care less.
Pirate’s Swoop buzzes as well, but in a nicer, more homey way. It’s just her in the place for the moment,well, her and the servants, and they’ve done this before, this Aly-by-herself in a house for a dynasty.
There is only one thing out of place: it seems that Da, or her mother or someone has hired a new person, a slender man she only sees out of the corner of her eye. She’s not sure if her Da’s hired him or if he’s actually hired him, but resolves to seek him out and make him feel welcome. If nothing else, to impress her Da.
She can’t find him. It’s infuriating.
Goodthing she has nothing to do but wait.
She asks her maid about him when she’s preparing to go to bed, but Lara just smiles blankly at her and shakes her head.
“We haven’t gotten any new hires, miss,” she says, and this is Pirate’s Swoop, so she means it twice over. It doesn’t bother Aly as much as it should.
After all, she doubts that the strange man is planning on strangling her in her bed.
X
She wakes, ruefully, because she hears someone in her room.
She doesn’t open her eyes, doesn’t hear any sound, but she knows, a skill learned from royal ties, Champion mothers, and really, really annoying twin brothers.
She feels like the intruder is hovering over her bed, which just goes to show her,and she opens her eyes just long enough to process that she was correct before she pushes herself up, meaning to push him against the wall so she can get the lamp and hit him with it.
Instead she pushes right through him and stumbles, and he turns around to face her.
“You’re her daughter,” the ghost who apparently is sneaking into her bedroom says, and Aly sighs inwardly. Her first supernatural encounter and he asks about her mother. How predictable.
“If you mean Sir Alanna the Lioness of Pirate’s Swoop, King’s Champion, then yes, I’m her daughter. But that’s a boring story. What about the tale where a pale dead man decides it’s a good idea to skulk around my house and then sneak into my room at midnight? That’s a good one,” Aly says. It’s not her best moment of snark, but, you know. Midnight. Ghost.
The spirit aspect helps, though, because he seems to have a strange internal lighting that burns her eyes a little but also provides excellent lighting for seeing his expression, so she can see that he flinches at “Pirate’s Swoop”, but not the other titles. So he’s been dead since, what, Duke Roger’s rebellion?
She takes another look at him while he appears to contemplate her ability to speak and tries to reconcile King Jonathan’s features next to his, but thankfully,it’s all wrong.
“You shouldn’t be able to see me,” he says.
“That’s not an excuse,” Aly says easily. “I think you at least owe me a name.”
“Alex of Tirragen,” he says, smiling a little at her, and Aly may not have heard very much about this particular school friend of her mother’s but she still understands that this is bad, even for her.
“Well, Alex of Tirragen,” Aly says lazily. “I would think that even your ghost would have more taste than sneaking into a girl’s room without her consent.”
He half-smiles at her again, and comes a bit closer.
“You’re only focusing on the boring part,” he tells her. “I just wanted to see if I could feel.”
She feels a soft touch on her hands, and then he disappears, still smiling oddly.